Stray, because everybody wants to be a cat, as stated in Aristocats.
This isn’t just some cat simulator where you meow at things, brush up against them with your body, scent-mark everything and claw at someone’s house curtains–although there are times you most certainly sharpen your claws on objects.
Instead, we’re a cat on a mission to return to our cat-family by going through obstacles and meeting robots along the way.
- Developed by BlueTwelve Studio
- Published by Annapuma Interactive
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FAQ
Who is this game for?
When did my interest get piqued?
When the cat fell from the open world into a more secluded one.
Does Stray’s ending explain everything?
There are bits and pieces throughout the game that explain some of the robots you run into, but in the end, you do what a cat does. You look back where you came from, then you trot off into the fresh air of the outside world.
The cat is still a stray, as no cat family is waiting for you at the exit, so it might be an ending that suggests a sequel.
Explanation to Negative Feedback
Searching for things can get a bit tedious
For instance, in the Slums, you can find 8 pieces of sheet music for someone to play tunes to, and there are also 4 vending machines that provide you with a can to trade for specific goods at a market.
But there’s a lot of area to cover in that first section you’re put into, and searching all over in order to find that one last thing can get tiring and monotonous and stressful. I mean, we don’t have to find those things for story progression, but some people like 100%ing a game and get lost really easily.
*coughs* Me.
Strange confirmation controls
I think all the controls are fine, except when it comes to talking to other beings and such. As someone using an Xbox controller, I press X to continue conversation, but then B to end it. Like…why do I have to press a different button in order to cancel out of the conversation window? It’s odd.
Explanation to Positive Feedback
Amazing soundtrack
There aren’t a whole lot of games where I’ll stick around a location to just listen to the soundtrack that’s playing, but this game has a lot of really interesting audio going on. Aside from specific locations catering to a specific soundtrack, in the beginning of the Slums, you can find someone who will play different music from sheet music.
Also, when going into some bars, you can change the music coming out of the jukebox.
Evasive maneuvers work
Remember in Land of the Lost, when Will Ferrel’s character started running in zig-zags to evade the T-Rex, even though the T-Red didn’t fall for it? Well, in this game, the zig-zag evasive maneuvers actually works to dodge the masses of Zurks you encounter.
Visuals are impressive
Seriously, the visuals in this game are amazing. I loved it as soon as we started to walk through the outside portion, and then it changed so drastically when we took a tumble into the slum portion of the world. It actually feels very reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII Remake’s graphics. Just the Slum world overall, with cramped alleyways and trash scattered about that nobody cares about because they’re…robots.
The lighting is fantastic. The locations have a dystopian feel to them, since humanity supposedly has been wiped out.
And those areas overflowing with Zurks and their eggs? Ugh, I shudder.
Links Worth Checking Out
- Check out these streamers who played Stray:
Gameplay
Achievements
24 achievements to purrfect on.
Plot
Lost, alone and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten city.
Game Length
Around the 6 hour mark.
Replay Value
There is none once you’ve completed everything you can do in it.
Genre(s)
I won’t be labeling this as action/adventure, because there really isn’t any action going on. You don’t fight the enemies, you run and hide from them to either escape or avoid detection. As a cat, you won’t be using your claws and teeth to destroy those who oppose you.
You don’t have to worry about jumpscares. The main part of the horror spectrum that this game lies in are the areas of the Zurk infestation. Their pretty weird and disgusting looking on their own, but when they come at you in a large group, it’s terrifying to think you might not be able to get by them.
The mystery part is the whole ordeal of how you’re going to get back up to the surface, and even if you can help the robots to do so. It’s a bit iffy on the mystery spectrum, honestly.
There will be moments where you’ll have to puzzle things out–like how to elude the little monsters chasing your tail. The puzzles aren’t numerous, and they aren’t difficult at all…but…I guess you can say there’s a few.
Stray Review
I have a confession to make, and I hope I won’t get judged too harshly, but…
My sense of direction as a cat is just as garbage as it is as a human.
Yep, that’s right. Being a cat didn’t help me better navigate the world. In fact, if anything it made it worse, because cats can get damn near everywhere as long as there’s something they can jump on. You’d think I’d be able to find out my course of direction by standing on top of a building and looking around, but nah. That doesn’t help in the grand scheme of things if I’m looking for a vending machine or music sheet.
I will say, as much as I didn’t think it would be a grand game in the whole scheme of things, it blew my mind.
The graphics are amazing, the environment between the outside world and the city below, the chase-and-run scenarios, and every aspect of the cat is a beautiful mix. I mean, hell, you’ve even got the cat enthusiast Jackson Galaxy playing the game and enjoying the hell out of it!
That has to say something by itself for Stray.
I think one of the things I love most is the fact you’ve got a guitarist in the slums wanting some sheet music, and after giving them copies, you can listen to a certain kind of robotic-style soundtrack that you wouldn’t really get anywhere else in the game. I really liked listening to almost all of those sheet music melodies (though I missed one at one point).
The Zurks creeped me out, but I agree with everyone else that said they look like the Snarks from the Half-Life franchise.
Whatever they are, they’re creepy.
This isn’t just a cat simulator. It’s so much more, and you get to meet robots with their own personalities and viewpoints on the “outside” where some believe they’ll never see it and others that believe it really is true. Especially after seeing us, a cat.
Basically, if you love cats, you should buy this game. It isn’t very long, but it’s so very good.
